Fatigued Pirate Softball Ends 1-3 On The Week

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

Fatigue played a role in last week’s finishes for the Moapa Valley Softball team. And rightfully so, considering the rigor of the Pirate’s schedule during the week before. Despite all of that, the team was still able to find success.

Immediately after a weekend of no less than five games in two days, the Pirates hit the diamond again on Monday, March 12. This time they were on the road against the Mojave Rattlers.

After the first two innings the score would be 3-3. Then the Rattlers went on a run over the course of the next few innings. It would be 8-3 in favor of Mojave and the Pirates needed a comeback.
Moapa fought back and would rally to make it 8-7. But they struggled to get hits at the right times and they just couldn’t close the final gap.

Mojave would leave the field with a 10-8 victory.
“I think the girls were tired coming off that long weekend and Mondays are always hard to come out and get motivated,” MVHS head coach Matt Messer said. “We just couldn’t hit the ball. Their pitchers should have been our perfect speed but we just couldn’t hit. It was just a flat game all around but I think if we see them again they’ll get a real taste of what we can do.”

Two days later, the Pirates were back at it, this time at home against the Western Warriors. After a day of rest, the Pirates jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

A two-RBI single by Averee Widdison made the score 5-0. Now with Widdison and Abbie Evans still on base, Lainey Cornwall stepped up. She hit deep into center field and over the fence for a three-run home run.
The score was 13-0 before the second inning even began.

In the second, the Pirates still weren’t done. Cornwall stepped up to the plate and hit a second home run, this time a solo shot that made it 14-0.

The Pirates would win by a score of 15-0 before the third inning was even concluded.
While the offense was at the forefront of conversation, Moapa’s pitching was on as well. Starting pitcher Emilie Barraza surrendered just one hit in the three innings played.
“We just hit the ball a lot better than we had on Monday,” Messer said. “We’ve had a hard time with slower pitchers and going from fast to slow but that time we were hitting well.”

A day later, the Pirates returned home for one last game of the week. This time they hosted the Panthers of Pine View (UT), a rematch of a game from the week before in which the Panthers won a 16-13 shootout. This time around, the offense wasn’t quite on display as much as it had been over the weekend.
Pine View started strong early, with a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the third inning.

But the team battled back. In the sixth inning, two runs from the Pirates cut the lead down to two.
Moapa would have an opportunity to tie or win in the bottom of the seventh but just couldn’t quite finish the comeback. The Pirates would fall 6-5 and their season record would fall to 9-5.

Messer noted that the team’s six errors and six walks in that game played a major role in the loss. “If we eliminate half of our errors or walks, we might win that game,” he said.

He also noted the team’s excitement about a break from game action over the coming spring break. Fatigue had begun to play a part in the team’s performance after two and a half long weeks of softball. Furthermore, the team continues to play without starting shortstop Kaitlyn Anderson, who rests for an ankle injury.

“I think stepping away from them over the weekend will be good for them,” Messer said. “We scheduled it intentionally. They’ve had three weeks of solid softball and now can get a little rest. We’re just hoping for Kaitlyn to be healthy and that’ll be huge for us.”

After the break, the Pirates hope to be rejuvenated and healthy just in time for league games around the corner.